our queer elders
mary oliver
“I took one look and fell, hook and tumble.”
—m.o. on her first encounter with m.m.c.
mary oliver in provincetown, photo by molly malone cook, her longtime partner
mary oliver (1935-2019) met molly malone cook (1925-2005) in 1959 at steepletop, the estate of edna st. vincent millay (another iconic queer poet!). the two moved to provincetown in the 1960s, where their romance spanned four decades. mary’s poetry was deeply inspired by her time in provincetown, exploring and observing—the province lands, blackwater pond, herring cove beach. when they first moved to provincetown, mary and molly did not make much money, and many of mary’s wanders through the woods were also to forage for their suppers. mary was awarded the pulitzer prize for poetry in 1984 and the national book award for poetry in 1992. mary was fiercely private and gave few interviews.
about the song
molly malone cook and mary oliver in provincetown, photo by barbara savage cheresh
I once spent a summer living in a tiny, 250-sq-ft, beach cottage in provincetown. in this cramped space I shared with my partner and our not-so-small greyhound, we spent a lot of time outside. there’s something about living in provincetown. there’s something about making that drive in on route six and seeing the geology shift from glacial outwash plain to sand dunes. there’s something about just how far it is from everything else. I came across mary’s poem, “coming home,” and it resonated so deeply with me, the life she and molly malone cook shared in provincetown and just how many times they too must have made the same drive I now make almost every day.
“unprovable things” is my tribute to this poem.
unprovable things, as recorded for artslight, a production of lower cape tv
unprovable things
when we’re driving in the dark
when we’re weary and home feels far
we pass the harbor on the right
marvel in thanks for full moon light
when the sand shifts my heart lifts
I believe in a thousand fragile, unprovable things
I believe in a doorway past houses and narrow streets I do
one that belongs to me and you
when our headlights pierce the deep
and our eyelids beg for sleep
we pull off six for commercial street
where the pale dunes meet the sea
when the sand shifts my heart lifts
I believe in a thousand fragile, unprovable things
I believe in a doorway past houses and narrow streets I do
one that belongs to me and you
looking out for sorrow and slowing down for happiness
we live in a world we cherish
making all the right turns; navigate this world with ease
the past the future and what’s in between
when the sand shifts my heart lifts
I believe in a thousand fragile, unprovable things
I believe in a doorway past houses and narrow streets I do
one that belongs to me and you
yeah one that belongs to me and you
k.a.castagno 2022
recommended reading
our world by mary oliver, photos by molly malone cook. published 2009.
mary oliver on what attention really means and her moving elegy for her soul mate by maria popova, published 2015.
the land and words of mary oliver, the bard of provincetown by mary duenwald, published by the new york times in 2009.